Rape and Sexual Assault

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the numbers of reported cases of rape or sexual assault for the years from 1971 and 1981 on an annual basis; and what were the maximum and minimum sentences awarded.

Information for England and Wales on offences of rape and of indecent assault on a female recorded by the police and sentences given by the courts is published annually in "Criminal statistics, England and Wales". (Table 2.6 of the Command Paper for 1980 (Cmnd. 8376), tables SI1(A) and SI.2 of volume 1 and tables S2.1(A) and S2.2 of volume 2 of the supplementary volumes for 1980. In the volume for 1979—Cmnd. 8098—information on sentencing is in tables 1(a), 2, 5(a) and 6.) The figures for rape include some offences other than under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956, including offences of aiding and abetting and attempts. The tables show that over the years 1971 to 1980 the principal sentence imposed ranged from a discharge to life imprisonment for rape and to up to five years imprisonment for indecent assault on a female. Information for 1981 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider seeking the introduction of the penalty of castration for the offence of rape, if not on first conviction then on any subsequent conviction.